Garment hanger



March 12, 1929. w. PATTESON GARMENT HANGER Filed July l, 1926 2Sheets-Sheet abr-01m ma:

March l2, 1929.

"w, PATTERSON GARMENT HANGER Filed July l, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Mar. l2, 1929.

AUNIT-Eo STATE-s PATIENT ePrice-.Q i

WILLIAMV PATTERSON, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

1 GARMENT HANGER. y

Application filed JlulyI 1,

This invention has reference to garment hangers or clothes racks of thecharacter described and illustrated in my U. S. Letters Patent#1,587,676, issued June 8, 1926,'and

provides certain novel and useful improvevice as well as a morepractical and economic construction. v

In general, the invention provides an ornamental bedroom clothestree orhanger of sim` ple, sturdy, metal construction adaptedto give a lastingdependable service and which can be folded up into a. compact form whennot in use. Additional advantagesv may be apparent froml the followingdetailed description of the invention, and from the annexed drawingsshowing one of'the many possible embodiments wherein:

Figure lis a perspective view of a section of a bedroom door with thedevicel attached thereto. Y

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the device as viewed from thetop,.with thepart-s enclosed in the casing. y

Figure 3 is a longitudinal 4sect-ion of the device as viewed from theyfront, with the parts enclosed in the casing..` y Y I Figure 4 is alongitudinal section of the'device as viewed from the side, the partsbeing enclosed in the casnof.

Figure 5 is a sidb view of the hanger in operative position, the partsbeing shown insection. 1 y y l Figure 6 isa top viewof the hanger inoperative position, thecasing being shown in section.

CII

Figure-7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-`7of Figure 5. y

Figures 8, 9, and 10, are detail views.`

In' the drawings, 1 designates aV section of a bedroom door to theinnersurface of which is attached the casing 2 ofthe hanger. .Fittingsnugly within the casingand pivoting on pin 3 at its lower end is asupport bar 4 having at its free end a hook 5 which serves asa supportfor a suit-hanger and also as a finger grip yfor swinging the supportbar into and out of the casing. A carrier'bar 46 is supported by thesupport bar 4 and carries a plurality of article-holding elements, suchlas the hanger. arms 7. 1n the present embodiment,

192e. seriai No. 119,561.

the carrier bar consists of apfmetallic tubular member havinglongitudinally spaced openings 8 on opposite sides and a vertical pivotpin 9 adjacent theouter end` of each openinfr. ,Each pivot pin 'has ahanger arm 7 loose mounted thereon to swing freely through the iadjacent opening 8, the latter being prefer'- ably shaped in conformitywith the shape of the hanger arm. v Support bar lis also of hollow,metallic, construction and is adapted to house thev carrier bar, theopposite sides of the support bar being kprovided with openings orcut-,outs 10 toallow foi-the outward and inward swinging movement of thekhanger arms.

The carrier bar is arrangedto slide wit-hin the supportbar and is socoupled tothe casing 2 as to be automatically shifted alternately backand forth as the support bar is raised and lowered. This shiftingmovement is effected sin'iultaneously with theraising and lowering ofthe support bar by means of a U-shaped coupling 11, shown in detail-inFig." 10. On cach side of its base, the coupling has a trun- `iiio'n 12and the arms of the coupling are also provided near their outerextremities with r trunnions 13. Bearing openings 14 are located'in thesides of the carrier bar and-near the inner end of the latter to receivethe trunnions 12 and the casing has its back wall provided withoutstanding ears or lugs 15l having bearing openings to receive thetrunnions I 13, the arms of the coupling being seconstructed as to becapable ofbeing flexed inwardly toward eachother tov facilitate theplacing of the tiunnions 13 in the openings. in the lugs.

The hanger arms are. arranged in pairs .of oppositely disposed units andan actuating mechanism is provided for moving the arms into operativeposition as the support bar is withdrawn from the casing. mechanismcomprises a. long and narrow fiat bar or strip 16 of metal extendingwithin the support bar for almost the entire length thereof, as showninFig. 5, and passingvthrougli the tubular carrier 6 and between theunits of each pair of hanger arms. *This operating bar. 16 is free toslidey and has affixed-thereto in rlhe actuating longitudinally spacedrelation a plurality of hanger arm actuating members. Each actuatingmember comprises pair of -spring 'lingers 17-17f connected at one'endbythe portion 18 which is rivetedwor otherwise fastened to the undersideof theflat operating bar 16. The :fingers 17e-17 estetici. longitudwnally of. opposite sides of har 16 with their flat sides presented tothe edges of the bar and they are flexed to spring outwardly from thebar with their outer ends pressing against the inner surfaces ofopposite hanger arms, as

eversuch openings are brought into align-` ment by the shifting of thecarrier bar.

When the support bar l is enclosed in the casing, the partsarepositioned as shownin Figs. 3 and 4i observed, has been shiftedforwardly within the supportbar to the extreme limit permitted by thecoupling 1l so that the openings 8 and 10 are relatively offset, withthe hanger arms lying within openings 8 and retained therein against theVoutward pressure of the spring fingers 17-17 by the overlyingportionsor abutments 19 of the side walls of the support bar. lTheoperating bar 16, which in the horizontal position of the support'barabuts with the casing as shown in Fig. 5, is likewise p shiftedforwardly in the vertical position of the support bai",Y being carriedalong with the carrier bar :by reason of the friction grip of the springarms lZ-li on the folded-in hanger arms. The extent of the forwardshifting movementof the operating bar 16 is in dicatedby the spacingbetween the lower end 2O of the bar and the bottom of the casing,as'seenin'liigsg?) and 4L. t will loe. observed, also, that the support bar iscut away at 21 to avoid interference` with the pivotedcoupling 11. Asthe support bar is swung outwardly and downwardly ofthe casing, thecarrier bar is gradually shifted Ytowardtheinneror pivoted end of thesupport `bar by reason of the coupling 11 until a point is reached wherethe openinos 8 and 10 are so nearly aligned as to, permit the hangerarms to be moved outwardly thereof, under pressure of the springfingers17-17, so that the ends 22 are swung clear of the edges 23 of opening10. This action occurs before the support bar has reached the limit ofits :downward travel and as the carrier bar continues to be shiftedinwardly, the end 2O of bar 16 abats with the back wall of the casing.This prevents further inward movement ofthe bar .16 and, hence, as thepivot pins 9 of the hanger arms move inwardly with the carrier bar andcloser to the curved ends 24 of the 'spring lingers, the hanger arms arecaused to stand out from the sides of the support bar, at right anglesthereto and up against the rearedges 25 of the openings 10 which edgesserve as abutments for limiting the backward swing of the hanger arms.

To fold up the device when the same is not in use', the support bar issimply swung up into the case, the carrier bar shifting auto'- Thecarrier bar 6,'it will be matically to the outer end of the support barduring the upward movement ofthe latter and causing the hanger arms toswing into openings Sas they are moved past the edges 25 of openings 10.rlheoperating bar 16 does not move with the carrier bar until the hangerarms have been drawn inwardly enough to compress vspring hngers 17-17and to be i'irmly engaged by said lingers in a frictional gripsuliicientto cause the bar 1G to` move as a unit with the carrier bar.The movements of the-parts are so timedthat this shifting of theoperatingbar 16.r occurs shortly after the initial movement of thecarrier bar. .The support-bar is retained within the casing by a springlatch consisting of a spring tongue 26 struck up from the hack wall ofthe casing and frictionally engaging the outer end '27 of thesupportbar. ,j Y

From the foregoing it .will be noted that the use of coiled or helicalsprings are avoided and that a smooth and moderate movement `of theparts is `obtained which lessons the strain and wear on the device andrenders the same more dependable'and lasting.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

l. A garment hanger comprisingfa support, hanger arms pivotally'mountedthereon, said arms being arrangedin pairs of oppositely disposed units,a bar' extending lengthwise of the said fsupport and between the unitsofeach pairof hanger arms, 'and a plurality of arm-actuating memberscarried by said bar in relatively spaced relation,each of saidarm-actuating members comprising a pairnof spring iingers'fiexed tospring outwardly of respectively opposite sides of the bar forengagingthe said hanger arms, said support being'slidable'with-respectto said bar to effect operative engagement of the spring fingerswith'said hanger arms.

2. A garment hanger comprising a supporting casing, a support bar havingone end pivoted to the casing, acarrier bar slidable in said support barand carrying a plurality of pivotally mounted article-holding elements,said support bar-having side openings to allow for the outward andVVinward swinging movement'of the said article-holdingelements, meansconnecting the said carrier bar lll() Vto be thereby swung outwardly toan opera" tive positio y 3. A garment hanger comprising longitudinallydisposed relatively movable meinbers, an article-holding elementpivotally supported on one member and normally extending longitudinallythereof, and an actuating element slidably encasedV byi the same memberand disposedadjacent said articleholding element for movementlongitudinally thereof during relative movement of the members, saidactuating element serving to swing the article-holding element outwardlyof, itsV supporting member as it approaches the pivot ofthearticle-holding element.

1. In a garment hanger, a pair of longitudinally disposed relativelymovable members, an article-holding element pivotally supported on onemember and extending longitudinally thereof, and a spring-tensionedelement slidably encased by the same member and pressing outwardlyagainstthe article-holding element, said spring-tensioned element beingadapted to swing the article-holding element outwardly of its supportingmember as the pivot of the ,article-holding element is shifted towardsthe spring-tensioned element during the relative movement of the twomembers.

5. In a garment hanger, a pair of longitudinally disposed relativelyslidable menibers, an article-holding element pivotally supported on onemember and extending longitudinally thereof, a spring-tensioned .elementslidably encased by the same member and pressing outwardly against thearticleliolding element, said spring-tensioned element being adapted toswing the article-holding element outwardly of its supporting member asthe pivot ofthe article-holding element bei', an actuating memberbetweeny the said y article-holding elements having spring arms pressingoutwardly against the inner sides of the article-holding elements forexerting pressure on the latter, and means for shifting fthe actuating'member relatively to the article-v holding elements for causing thelatter to swing outwardly ofthe support as their pivots v approach thespring arms of the said actuating member.

7. A garment hanger comprising a `supv porting member, hanger armspivot-ally mounted thereon, and arranged in pairsof opposit'ely disposedunits, and an'actuating mechanism including a bar extending lengtln wiseof the supporting member and between the unitsof each pair of hangerarms` and havingv thereon a plurality of diverging spring lingers, saidbar being free to slide with respect to the supporting .member to permitthe spring lingers to be brought into operating engagement with thehanger arms by sliding movement of the supporting memberwith respect tosaid bar and meansfor effecting such slidingY movement of the supportingmember.

lIn testimony whereof, I affix signature.l

WILLIAM PATTERSON.

